Complementary mating elements for double-skin foam core panel

Claim 1

In a wall structure assembled from plural building panels spanning across plural spaced-apart sub-girts of a structural framework and erected in side-by-side overlapped relation; each of said panels having an outer facing sheet laterally offset from and spaced-apart from an inner facing sheet, and a foam core disposed therebetween; each of said facing sheets including a central web, first and second side walls extending along the opposite sides of said central web, and a flange extending outwardly from the second side wall generally parallel to said central web, the flange of each facing sheet confronting the opposing central web of the other facing sheet and being laterally spaced-apart from the first side wall of the other facing sheet; said panels being erected (a) with the first side wall of each facing sheet confronting the second side wall of the adjacent facing sheet, and (b) with said flange of each outer facing sheet positioned inboard of and spaced-apart from said flange of each said inner facing sheet; and clip and fastener means engageable with the flanges of the outer facing sheets for securing said panels to certain of said sub-girts; the improvement in laterally adjustable connecting means providing a positive mechanical connection between the outer facing sheets of adjacent panels, comprising: said second side wall of each outer facing sheet having a recess formed integrally therein and saced-apart from said central web and from said flange, said recess comprising confronting first and second interior wall segments extending generally parallel with said central web, and a connecting wall segment; and a complementary tongue formed integrally with said first side wall of each outer facing sheet and extending outwardly therefrom into the recess of the adjacent facing sheet, said complementary tongue comprising a first exterior wall segment confronting said first interior wall segment and being generally parallel therewith, and a second exterior wall segment adjoining said first exterior wall segment to provide a leading edge remote from said first side wall; the width of said complementary tongue and the depth of said recess being such that prior to securing said panels to said subgirts, the position of each panel may be adjusted laterally with respect to the previously erected panel, thereby to conform the lateral coverage provided by all of said panels with that required by said structural framework.